Christmas 2012 in Pictures

I do enjoy our family Christmastime each year--with just the six of us gathered. This year, we did something a little different. I took each of the girls on her own special shopping trip to the dollar store to pick out gifts for each member of our family. To see how happy and satisfied they each were picking something out for each sister and parent at the Dollar Tree made my heart happy. Of course, with shopping at the same store, each sister could also make suggestions for what she might like as a gift from the next shopper!

Here Lauren is excited to see she got a sleep mask. 

Em is giving Annika a hug here; I can't remember why she was overcome with emotion. Love to see them loving each other.

Here Annika is excited to get another installment of the Puppy Place books. I so appreciate her enthusiasm for reading and being excited to receive something so simple for Christmas.

Emily also got a sleep mask in her stocking. She felt it necessary to wear it as she opened a Christmas gift. Heightened the suspense, I guess!

Dan opening one of his gifts from his girls--a Snickers bar! (He got a lot of consumables this year!)

At the Pike family gathering, Annika received a My Twinn doll from Gramma Barb. This was an amazing deal found on Craigslist from a mom who had purchased it for her little girl who is now in her mid-20s. The seller was ecstatic to have it go to another little blonde, blue-eyed girl with a bob haircut. I sent the seller a few pics after Christmas, too.

At the Wheeler family gathering, Megan got her own 18-inch doll from Papa and Grandma Wheeler. She'd been wanting one for a few months. Each of her sisters had gotten one last year. Meg was now at the age to also enjoy one.

I can never quite tell if Lauren is being dramatic on purpose. This is her as she received her first floral bouquet of roses. Great expression!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I don't think we spend a lot of money on plain ol' shopping, but somehow we accumulate so much! For the longest time, I've been whittling away at our overabundance of stuff and hauling small batches to the thrift store.

However, I also like shopping at the thrift store and find all sorts of things I want. And, since it's so inexpensive, it's like guilt-free. But this again adds to the clutter, especially if the recipient has no desire to pick anything up off the floor once it's been dropped there.

On one such trip to the nearby thrift store, I brought the girls with. It was a bit before Christmas. Just inside the door was a huge soft-sided container with items marked free. My girls migrated to it instantly!

I wandered around the store in search of other treasures with which to clutter our home. About 10 minutes later, Lauren cornered me. She had found a ceramic figurine of an Amish girl holding a quilt. It was a simple piece done in navy blue and a ruby rose color for accent. Being Amish, the doll had no detailing on the face.

"Mama, can I please take this home? It's beautiful! It's free!"

Ah, the sweet irony. This was a piece I had painted at Green Lake Conference Center many summers ago and had donated in an attempt to clean out my home. But my daughter had just called a piece of my work beautiful! I couldn't turn that down. So now the same doll I donated just a few months before now sits on a shelf in our living room on display. Yup, one step forward...